After fixing my live well, I took the PA out on San Diego Bay for about 6 hours. I took it out of the water and found about a gallon of water in the hull. I thought it was strange because no water splashed on to the deck. On Friday (3-5-10), I fished Irvine Lake for 6 hours. I trolled for about 3-4 hours. When I was done, I attempted to lift my PA onto the bed of my truck. Unknown to me that the PA filled up with water (approximately 5+ gallons); I lifted the PA almost injuring my back. The PA was so heavy with water that I fell flat on my face almost fracturing my jaw on the ground. I took the PA home, cleaned it and emptied every. I put in my pool overnight and the next morning it had about two gallons of water in it. I checked everything and I could not detect a crack or any kind of problem.

I keep my PA stored in my garage on a cushioned carpet floor and out of the elements. I mostly use it in lakes and bays in Southern California.

I have not tried this with a PA, but have used this technique with several other kayaks:

Put the kayak on saw horses on concrete that is dry. Fill the kayak with about 2 inches of water(or more, but do not completely fill the yak with water, too much pressure on it on saw horses) and watch for leaks on the concrete. If none are found tip the kayak on it's side and look for leaks.

You can even locate pin hole leaks this way.

It can be fixed, lots of ways. Water weld, goop or even welding the plastic. I had 6 holes on the top of mine welded by my dealer and you can hardly tell where it was done.

You can use a small shop vac in blower mode to pump air into the yak and then use a spray bottle with soapy water to look for leaks. Spray around all suspected leak locations like the hatches, fittings etc.

If you have a small nozzle attachment then use the drain plug hole. Have someone hold the nozzle in the drain hole but not completely sealed to allow some of the air to escape as you only need a slight pressure variant to find the leaks.

Note: Take care in not over pressurizing the yak.

Anyway, I hope that makes sense. I used this method to find several leaks in my yak. Turned out the added on light pole holder was leaking.

My PA was leaking from where the spine of the drive fits into the hull. So every time I pedaled it would force open the crack and the water would leak. I contacted Hobie and they warranted the Hull. Hobie truly stands by their product and their customer service was outstanding. I took my PA to Southwind in Irvine, Ca and Manager John Upchurch took care of everything. They contacted Hobie and traded in my hull for a brand new one. I will be a loyal customer to Southwind and my highest recommendations to them.